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thornton-michael
Reviews
The Machinist (2004)
Awesome build-up, but the payoff not so much....
This review contains information that may be deemed a spoiler by some people. Basically, I tell you what horrible plot device I'm happy they didn't use.
Overall I thought the movie was really good. The Machinist kept me wanting to know what happened next, up to the end. The end which wasn't entirely terrible kinda reminds me of a "Kill Bill Vol.2" ending. At the end of "Kill Bill Vol 2" I expected an awesome fight scene but on first viewing was disappointed with the way Tarantino handled it. Subsequent viewings have made me appreciate the way Tarantino threw a sucker punch in there that you wouldn't expect.
In "The Machinist" the build-up is so twisted that you expect the ending to be something you couldn't possibly have imagined. {b}I{/b} wanted the ending to be so far out there that it would freak me out like the rest of the movie did. (*possible spoiler*) All signs pointed to Trevor and Ivan being one and the same but,thankfully, that wasn't the case. It was was an all right "Aha!" in "Fight Club" but if they had done it here it would've almost ruined the movie because of the sheer cheesiness of it. (*/end spoiler*) I think upon a second watching I might like the ending more and knowing the end will change the color of the movie for me. Events that seemed sinister during the first viewing will take on a lighter tone.
As for the how the movie was shot, it's really good. The coloration they use gives a lot of the movie an almost black and white look which is effective in creating a sense of foreboding. The way the dark halls were shot reminded me of what a dark hall was like as a child. The movie is able to convey a sense of dread through the use of a muted color palette.
I'm definitely going to recommend this movie to people and I'll watch it again just so I can have foresight this time. It'll be almost like watching "Identity" for the second time.
Slasher (2004)
"Don't quite have a champagne after taste but it's not quite corny diarrhea"
I just finished watching this turd of a movie and want the last two hours of my life back. Seriously, all I learned was that the Slasher likes beer and he's annoying as fa-wk. Clearly the guy is tweaked out of his mind the vast majority of this movie. I could've made a better documentary about the people that hustle at car-washes. The only good part of the movie was laughing at all the morons that actually fell for the $88 car ploy,I kept expecting Eddie Murphy to jump out yelling "Hercules, Hercules" during a couple of these scenes.
Only other scene of note, in between the mundane drivel like showing the Slasher take a urination, was the white guy that sounds JUST LIKE the Ladies Man. I kept expecting him to say, "Yeah that's nice" and ask for someone to pass him the Courvoisier.
Next time I consider becoming a used cars salesman I'm going to have someone kick me in the larynx so maybe I can become as good as the Slasher at slashing the price.
There are only two parts of the DVD that make it a little less of a time drain than watching it on TV. The extra's menu with the still of the as hat trying to "cut" the price list with the fake chainsaw was humorous, and the scene where the Slasher is clearly rolling a joint. That tells you how great the extra content on the DVD is...
Despite the IFC seal of approval DON'T WATCH THIS POS!